Page 34 of Manacled Hearts

“Hmm.” Loreley says with a cheeky smile, and I swear I can hear cogs spinning in that beautiful head of hers.

“Leather, velvet, and oversized sweaters.”

“Now we’re talking.” Morrigan tightens her hold.

“We can definitely do leather.” Loreley joins in, that cheeky grin turning down-right devious.

“You should see our collection. Though it’s probably a different vibe,” Morrigan says, laughing.

“I’ve never actually worn anything like that. Never had the opportunity, but it’s the style I’ve always admired. Dark, rock on the side of gothic, moody,” I explain.

“I love that. I can honestly see it on you,” Loreley says.

“I think we should,” Morrigan adds. “Come on, I know where to take you.”

“Honestly, you don’t have to. I can’t buy anything anyway, but I also don’t need to, it’s all good. Really,” I argue, tugging them back uselessly.

“It’s only a few doors down from here, and you don’t have to buy anything,” she continues as we exit the department store and turn right. “And if it’s money you’re worrying about—don’t. Seriously, you have to stop that. None of us are going to allow you to struggle or feel bad because you can’t buy your sister two books or some clothes for yourself. I get it, it feels like shit, but it’s not your fault you were kidnapped, or that you’re like two thousand miles away from home, or that you can’t pull money out of your ass. You’re here because The Sanctum wants to help you, just like they helped all the others.”

“Hey,” Loreley argues.

“I know, I know, you’re not part of The Sanctum. That’s not the point here. The point is that we are the ones offering to help you, you are not taking advantage of us. Okay?” Morrigan finishes just as we turn another right into a side street with smaller, quainter shops.

“I appreciate it. I really do.”

I’m prepared to argue against it again, but I realize that it just means that I will be having the same debate later. I know what’s stopping me, and it’s not just my ego, but the provenance of this money I’m being offered and the fact that I’m still not convinced that it comes with no strings attached.

“I’m used to taking care of my sister and I on my own. This is difficult to adjust to. Harder to accept.”

“We can start small, right about now.” Morrigan halts us in front of a small storefront, black baroque style woodwork framing the window and the glass-paneled door.

The window display looks like it might just be the store of my dreams. Platform boots, combat boots, lace-ups, leather skirts and thick, dark lace and velvet, cozy knitted sweaters, and some sexier things I would never dare to buy. Maybe.

Damn…

They don’t have to drag me into this one, I walk in willingly.

“I understand it’s hard. Lulu had to beg me to accept the apartment she gave me in her building when I had no money of my own to move out of my parents’ house, after university,” Morrigan says.

Loreley has an entire apartment building? If she’s not part of The Sanctum, what exactly does she do for work?

“I thought you live with Vincent in the woods.”

“Our situation is a little different. Our marriage is quite new and let’s just say it was not planned. But the apartment happened before this, and it’s still mine.” She starts looking through the clothing racks, pulling a myriad of items out as we move through the store and showing them to me for approval.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry,” I apologize.

“No, don’t worry. It’s no secret. But I just wanted to tell you that in a small way, since our situations are different, I do understand that accepting help is hard on the soul. God knows I had to make a deal with the devil just to justify accepting help.”

Loreley snickers at that, and I narrow my brows.

“She’s referring to her hubby. He’s The Serpent… and he calls her his Little Eve. Get it?” the blonde woman shakes her head in mock disapproval. “They did make an actual deal… crossroads and all.”

Well, someday I will pry a little more to find out the whole intriguing story.

“I want to do this for myself,” I say.

“You will. But you can’t expect it to happen right away. You have some serious healing to do.” Morrigan hands me the clothes I nodded to in approval. “Try them on.”

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